https://planlined.com/ Planlined is benefit-proposal software for employee-benefits brokers (formerly BART). New and updated guides, templates, calculators and competitor comparisons. en-us Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://planlined.com/blog/benefit-proposal-software-free-trial/https://planlined.com/blog/benefit-proposal-software-free-trial/Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogWhich tools let you produce real work before paying, and which only look like they do. Time-boxed, usage-boxed, paid and demo-only starts, compared. https://planlined.com/blog/cheapest-benefit-proposal-software/https://planlined.com/blog/cheapest-benefit-proposal-software/Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogFive tools that publish a price, ranked on what one broker pays in a year. Plus the four cost traps that make a low headline number expensive. https://planlined.com/blog/perfectquote-alternatives/https://planlined.com/blog/perfectquote-alternatives/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogAs of September 2026, PerfectQuote sells a two-year, per-user agreement from $141 a month with no free trial. Five alternatives you can start sooner. https://planlined.com/blog/best-benefit-proposal-software/https://planlined.com/blog/best-benefit-proposal-software/Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogNine benefit proposal tools compared on what they parse, output and cost, including which four publish a price. Written by Planlined, one of the nine. https://planlined.com/blog/plan-library-organization-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/plan-library-organization-guide/Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogBuild a searchable, reusable plan library that speeds up proposals. Organization strategies, naming conventions, and template systems for brokers. https://planlined.com/blog/peo-benefits-comparison-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/peo-benefits-comparison-guide/Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogHow to compare PEO master health plans side by side, model admin fees, and calculate the total cost of a PEO arrangement — a guide for brokers. https://planlined.com/blog/what-if-scenario-modeling-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/what-if-scenario-modeling-guide/Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogHow brokers use what-if scenario modeling at renewal: which alternatives to test, how to keep the baseline intact, and when to commit to a recommendation. https://planlined.com/blog/quote-analysis-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/quote-analysis-guide/Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogHow to analyze and compare employee benefit quotes: rate analysis, plan comparisons, and presenting recommendations to clients. https://planlined.com/blog/employee-benefit-guide-template/https://planlined.com/blog/employee-benefit-guide-template/Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogThe six sections every employee benefit guide needs — branding, contacts, FAQs, resources, enrollment steps, and export format. Build yours free. https://planlined.com/blog/benefit-proposal-workflow-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/benefit-proposal-workflow-guide/Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogA current Planlined workflow for bringing in carrier files, working a recommendation safely, and delivering client-ready materials. https://planlined.com/blog/ancillary-benefits-strategy/https://planlined.com/blog/ancillary-benefits-strategy/Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogDesign competitive ancillary benefits packages. Learn how to combine dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary benefits for maximum employee value. https://planlined.com/blog/level-funded-plans-explained/https://planlined.com/blog/level-funded-plans-explained/Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogLearn how level-funded health insurance works. Understand the benefits, risks, and when level-funded plans make sense for your clients. https://planlined.com/blog/pdf-benefit-parsing-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/pdf-benefit-parsing-guide/Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogUnderstand how modern tools extract data from carrier PDFs automatically. Behind-the-scenes look at Google DocAI, ML models, and automated benefit parsing. https://planlined.com/resources/carrier-quoting-template/https://planlined.com/resources/carrier-quoting-template/Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceFree carrier quoting spreadsheet template for brokers: columns to track submissions and compare rates across carriers, plus a free Excel comparison workbook. https://planlined.com/resources/cobra-administration-guide/https://planlined.com/resources/cobra-administration-guide/Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceCOBRA administration guide for employers and brokers: compliance timeline, notification requirements, premium calculations, and qualifying events. https://planlined.com/resources/dental-vision-comparison/https://planlined.com/resources/dental-vision-comparison/Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceCompare dental and vision plans side-by-side. Free tool to analyze networks, coverage levels, and costs across carriers, including PPO vs DHMO. https://planlined.com/resources/erisa-compliance-checklist/https://planlined.com/resources/erisa-compliance-checklist/Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceComplete ERISA compliance checklist for employee benefit plans. Includes Form 5500 filing requirements, SPD rules, fiduciary duties, and audit thresholds. https://planlined.com/resources/open-enrollment-checklist/https://planlined.com/resources/open-enrollment-checklist/Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceA complete open enrollment checklist for brokers and HR teams: timeline, tasks, communication templates, and compliance deadlines. https://planlined.com/resources/benefits-rfp-template/https://planlined.com/resources/benefits-rfp-template/Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceFree benefits RFP template for health, dental, vision, life and disability: the sections, census fields and carrier questions to include, plus a timeline. https://planlined.com/resources/employee-payroll-deduction-calculator/https://planlined.com/resources/employee-payroll-deduction-calculator/Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceCalculate employee payroll deductions for health benefits. Free calculator showing employee costs after employer contributions, for brokers and HR. https://planlined.com/resources/excel-benefit-analysis/https://planlined.com/resources/excel-benefit-analysis/Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceFree Excel benefit analysis template for insurance brokers. Analyze health benefits, compare plans, and calculate costs — or automate it with Planlined. https://planlined.com/resources/mastering-what-if-mode/https://planlined.com/resources/mastering-what-if-mode/Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceStep-by-step Planlined Scenario Manager tutorial: start from a reviewed case, create a working scenario, compare it with the baseline, adopt it. https://planlined.com/resources/benefit-comparison-template/https://planlined.com/resources/benefit-comparison-template/Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceFree employee benefit comparison templates for Excel and PDF. Compare medical, dental, vision, life and disability side by side. No email required. https://planlined.com/resources/pdf-excel-benefit-analysis/https://planlined.com/resources/pdf-excel-benefit-analysis/Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceHow Planlined brings PDF and Excel benefit files into a reviewable case for source-verified plan analysis. https://planlined.com/blog/leaving-a-peo/https://planlined.com/blog/leaving-a-peo/Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogExiting a PEO is governed by three calendars that rarely line up: the notice window, the plan year and the tax year. What to check, in what order. https://planlined.com/blog/small-group-vs-large-group/https://planlined.com/blog/small-group-vs-large-group/Sat, 31 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogThe differences between small group and large group health insurance: ACA requirements, rating rules, and plan options for each market. https://planlined.com/resources/mlr-rebate-calculator/https://planlined.com/resources/mlr-rebate-calculator/Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceCalculate potential Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) rebates for your clients. Understand the 80/20 rule and how insurers distribute rebates to employers and employees. https://planlined.com/resources/aca-affordability-calculator/https://planlined.com/resources/aca-affordability-calculator/Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMTResourceFree ACA affordability calculator for 2026. Check whether health plans meet Affordable Care Act safe harbor requirements, for brokers and HR teams. https://planlined.com/blog/ai-tools-for-benefits-brokers/https://planlined.com/blog/ai-tools-for-benefits-brokers/Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogFive categories of AI tool a benefits broker will meet, what the AI is really doing in each, and the verification and PHI questions to ask first. https://planlined.com/blog/benefits-software-for-small-brokerages/https://planlined.com/blog/benefits-software-for-small-brokerages/Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogWhat changes under ten people: per-seat billing, contract terms and onboarding weeks. Four priced tools costed at one, three and five users. https://planlined.com/blog/level-funded-vs-fully-insured/https://planlined.com/blog/level-funded-vs-fully-insured/Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogThe two cost lines are not comparable as printed. What changes in the side-by-side: rating basis, who holds the risk, surplus, claims data, and the exit. https://planlined.com/blog/employee-navigator-alternatives/https://planlined.com/blog/employee-navigator-alternatives/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogEmployee Navigator quoting comes from Zywave CPQ. To replace the quote-to-proposal step instead, these five tools work from your carrier documents. https://planlined.com/blog/plansight-alternatives/https://planlined.com/blog/plansight-alternatives/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogPlansight sells to large brokerages through a sales process and does not publish pricing. Five alternatives that parse carrier proposals, three with prices. https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-benefitbooklet-ai/https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-benefitbooklet-ai/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTComparisonBenefitBooklet.ai builds branded employee guides from carrier documents from $79 a month; Planlined builds the guide from the proposal case, at $75 flat. https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-benefitflow/https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-benefitflow/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTComparisonBenefitFlow is prospecting and market intelligence built on Form 5500 data; Planlined is proposal software for after the quotes arrive. Different steps. https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-ease/https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-ease/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTComparisonEase is an enrollment platform retiring into Employee Navigator, read-only from July 2027; Planlined parses carrier quotes into comparisons and proposal books. https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-employee-navigator/https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-employee-navigator/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTComparisonEmployee Navigator runs enrollment and ben-admin, with quoting from Zywave CPQ; Planlined is the proposal step before it, parsing quotes into comparisons. https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-outmarket-ai/https://planlined.com/compare/planlined-vs-outmarket-ai/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTComparisonOutmarket AI is a broker-wide AI platform for commercial lines and benefits, sold by demo; Planlined is benefits-only, with a proposal book and public pricing. https://planlined.com/blog/secure-sharing-proposals-guide/https://planlined.com/blog/secure-sharing-proposals-guide/Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogShare benefit proposals securely with clients and teammates. Share link best practices, access controls, and presentation delivery strategies. https://planlined.com/blog/team-collaboration-benefits-brokers/https://planlined.com/blog/team-collaboration-benefits-brokers/Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTBlogSet up multi-user workflows for broker teams and agencies: organization management, role-based access, shared cases, and collaboration.